Sep 04, 2014 12:05 PM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Synthetic marijuana prevents negative behavioral and psychological effects of traumatic effects, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the University of Haifa in Israel found that administering cannabinoids soon after a traumatic event can prevent post-traumatic stress disorder-like (PTSD) symptoms in rates, caused by the trauma and by trauma reminders.

"The importance of this study is that it contributes to the understanding of the brain basis of the positive effect cannabis has on PTSD and thus supports the necessity to perform human trials to examine potential ways to prevent the development of PTSD and anxiety disorders in response to a traumatic event," the researchers noted in the study.

According to the Israel Medical Association, about 9 percent of the population suffers from PTSD, whereas among at-risk populations such as combat soldiers, prisoners, victims of assault, citizens in lines of confrontation, etc., the percentages are even higher. A common phenomenon among those who suffer from trauma is that exposure to a "trauma reminder" -- an event that is not traumatic in essence but that evokes the memory of the experience of the traumatic event -- can further heighten the negative effects of the trauma.

For the study, researchers examined whether the use of cannabinoids could moderate the effects of trauma in cases of exposure to trauma reminders. The researchers chose rats because of their great physiological similarity to humans in the way they respond to stressful and traumatic events.

They found that rats that were injected with synthetic marijuana showed no PTSD symptoms such as impaired extinction learning, increased startle response, changes in sensitivity to pain and impaired plasticity in the brain's reward center (the nucleus accumbens), compared to those not injected with the drug.

The researchers added that the rats that were injected with the drug showed better results compared to rats who received sertraline, an antidepressant.

"The findings of our study suggest that the connectivity within the brain's fear circuit changes following trauma, and the administration of cannabinoids prevents this change from happening," the researchers concluded.

The study can lead to future trials in humans regarding possible ways to prevent the development of PTSD and anxiety disorders in response to a traumatic event, the researchers concluded.

The findings were recently published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

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